Thursday, April 29, 2010

Kentucky Equality Federation Wrong: It's stupidity that threatens us, not hate

The first reports said that a gay Jackson County teen was the victim of kidnapping and attempted murder. Three teens had dragged the victim, Cheyenne Williams, with a chain around her neck, out of her car and tried to push her off a cliff. The mother of the victim claimed it was because of her daughter's sexual orientation. She was "nearly killed," said one report. But the gay teen had the presence of mind to record the whole thing on her cellphone, providing proof of what happened. Gay Rights activists donned their masks and capes and leaped before the cameras with their verdict.

"It was a hate crime," said Jordan Palmer, head of the Kentucky Equality Federation.

In fact, it seemed the perfect confirmation of the narrative of gay rights groups, who seem to believe the cultural landscape is replete with roving bands of homophobics looking for gays to bash.

But then the facts started to become clearer. The Kentucky State Police started looking into the incident. Both victim and the assailants were longtime friends, having known each other since 6th grade. Williams went on from the harrowing incident to a job interview, and then to her parents, neither of whom she mentioned it to at the time.

But it didn't matter to people like Jordan Palmer. It was a hate crime.

When police investigators asked Williams why, instead of filming the incident on her phone, she didn't call 911, she said she didn't think they would respond in time. In fact, has anyone thought to ask exactly how a victim of such a crime manages, without the assailants apparently even noticing it, that the victim is filming the whole thing with her cell phone?

It didn't matter. It was still a hate crime.

Then police--and the judge--viewed the video. There was no chain around her neck. And Williams was laughing throughout the whole incident, causing the judge to walk out of the undoubtedly disappointing cinematic experience and give both sides a good talking to. Then she reduced the charges to misdemeanors.

But the people who really need a talking to are people like the Kentucky Equality Federation, who still, unaccountably, think it's a hate crime.

The Lexington Herald-Leader described the Kentucky Equality Federation as "a volunteer organization." This is probably accurate, since no one has yet detected anything resembling professionalism. The group has announced that it is backing Williams up "all the way." But the group may have trouble backing someone up who herself is backing up. Here is part of the transcript of Williams being questioned by the attorney for one of the accused girls:
Gay: "Is there any evidence to support the murder charge?"
Williams: "No, ma'am."
Gay: "Is there any evidence to support the kidnapping charge?"
Williams: "No, ma'am."
As most people are figuring out, this was apparently a prank that went to far, conducted by teenagers with a severely low level of common sense and a little too much time on their hands. Teenager doing stupid things. Imagine that.

The State Police don't think it's a hate crime. The judge doesn't think it's a hate crime. No one thinks it's a hate crime--except the Kentucky Equality Federation.

And once the Kentucky Equality Federation succeeds in hauling the FBI into Jackson County, Kentucky to investigate a good case of stupid teen tricks, they've got more planned. Says Palmer:
It's learned behavior, whether they are learning it from their surroundings or they're learning it from home, they're learning it somewhere. And we need to reach to those children now and expose them to diversity and non-threatening environments before they grow up and they actually do kill someone.
There they go again: saying that stupidity is learned behavior. Don't they know that stupidity is inborn? Stupid people can't help being stupid, and they need to be protected. In fact, isn't there a group somewhere that stands up for the rights of stupid people? Why isn't there a law preventing people like the Kentucky Equality Federation from picking on stupid people?

In any case, once they're done trying to convince all the people who now know this is not a hate crime that it is, in fact--despite all the evidence, a hate crime, they're going to start exposing us to their brand of diversity, which consists exclusively of the uniform thought that there is some sort of widespread wave of violence against gays by people who hate them. Which, of course, is a dramatic overstatement at best, if not simply false.

As I have pointed out before, anti-gay murders are almost nonexistent, and actual physical violence against gays by anti-gays is dwarfed by violence against gays by other gays--in the form of domestic violence.

But this doesn't matter the Kentucky Equality Federation, who, despite all the evidence, still think it's a hate crime.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are such a complete idiot Martin. lol. We will see who has the final word.

Kentucky's Gay Politics said...

You are forming opinions about things you have no idea about. Everyone knows how corrupt Southern Kentucky is.

Anonymous said...

kentucky equality federation rocks you are the idiot

Martin Cothran said...

I see the people who are always saying how much they are opposed to hate are now with us. Just three posts and the epithets are already flowing.

I'm really feeling the love now.

Martin Cothran said...

Do you folks who are always talking about tolerance have any arguments on your side or are you just here to express your intolerance of other people's opinions?